** ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, FEB. 20-23 **Rapper 50 Cent gestures in New York, Feb. 12, 2003. His debut record "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" sold a record 872,000 copies in just four days. (AP Photo/Jim Cooper) ... more

Photo: JIM COOPER

2005 CRITICS CHOICES / FORECAST / POP CULTURE

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

J.K. Rowling, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" The sixth book in Rowling's Harry Potter series promises more bloodshed and teen angst. With a little luck, Voldemort will whack a few Gryffindors. (July 16)

SOCIAL ONLY Watch Kate Middleton Dance with Paddington Bear — While Still Battling Morning SicknessPeopleTime

What Does Shay Mitchell's Cryptic New Tattoo Mean?Wochit

50 Cent, "The Valentine's Day Massacre" Hey, it's a 50 Cent CD. It's got Eminem as a guest and Dr. Dre as producer. What could go wrong? (Feb. 15)

Sleater-Kinney, "Entertain" About time, ladies. After a pause to recalibrate, the Northwest's greatest punk trio is back with a new album on a new label. Fangirls rejoice. (spring or summer)

Flaming Lips, "At War With the Mystics" A new album from Wayne Coyne and his band of merry pranksters is always cause for celebration. Break out the furry suits and dance, monkeys. (summer)

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" The late Douglas Adams' guide to "life, the universe and everything" makes it to the big screen courtesy of director Garth Jennings. And dude, considering Adams' cult following, Jennings had better not slip up. (May 6)

"Star Wars -- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." Will it be as craptastic as the first two prequels? Who cares, as long as we get to see whiny Anakin Skywalker turn into tall, wheezing man-machine Darth Vader. (May 19)

Tori Amos and Ann Powers, "Tori Amos: Piece by Piece -- A Portrait of the Artist: Her Thoughts. Her Conversations" These (auto)biographical musings by pop's Zen waifstress are already stirring controversy. When the book actually hits the shelves, something else is sure to hit the fan. (Feb. 8)

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.